1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for enabling an aerial platform, such as an aircraft or cruise missile, to detect and identify a deployed marker beacon. Furthermore, after identification of the beacon of interest, the system provides a means of determining the relative bearing to the beacon for navigational purposes. Signalling between the aerial platform and the beacon provides information from which the slant range is determined. In addition, the system provides the means to activate a flare, that is part of the beacon, by remote command. The flare provides a visual and infrared aid to terminal homing to the beacon. Navigation to the beacon is desirable for one or more purposes including search and rescue; supply, reenforcement, and evacuation of ground forces in nonfriendly territory; location of sites requiring aerial strikes; and as a navigational waypoint.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Navigation by aircraft and cruise missiles is seldom in a straight line, but more often requires circuitous paths using intermediate navigational waypoints. Oftentimes, it is desirable to have the waypoints in nonfriendly areas. The locations of such waypoints are often not feasible to aircraft due to such things as nondistinctive terrain features or nonreliable sources of electromagnetic radiation. Yet the sites for waypoints can often be accessed, at least temporarily, by friendly forces in order to deploy a marker beacon. Also, downed aircrew quite often require search and rescue operations where a marker beacon cannot be employed due to secure aspects, and the use of standard Emergency Locator Transmitters or voice communications are either not available or undesirable.
Another scenario of concern is when small ground forces operating in nonfriendly territory require supply, reenforcement or evacuation, and voice transmissions for force identification and purpose of aerial support are not desirable in order to remain reasonably undetectable by nonfriendly forces.
Another area requiring a means of navigation by an aerial platform is when a ground force discovers a target for future aerial strikes and leaves a marker beacon to serve as an aim point after the ground forces clear the area. The marker beacon is most useful when the ground forces are unable to accurately determine the site location prior to departure.
The prior art discloses some features that could be modified for use in the present invention. However, there appears to be no teaching of combining any of these features to form a device capable of detecting, identifying, determining direction and distance, and flare activating a marker beacon as taught by the airborne system of the present invention.